Poppies banned in terror hotspots

Poppies banned in terror hotspots

Former L Cpl David Hart and Royal Marine Ben McBean at the launch of the annual Devon Poppy Appeal a

And not only do stores in areas linked to Islamic extremism fail to stock them, many shopkeepers claim never to have heard of them.

A Daily Star probe revealed a marked lack of support for armed forces personnel in districts with known terror links.

Investigators were despatched to areas of Leeds, Bradford, Dewsbury and Derby where police have conducted anti-terror operations.

It was impossible to find ONE poppy seller in any of the targeted zones.

In Dewsbury, near the home of Mohammed Sidique Khan, the ringleader of the 7/7 bombers who killed 52 and wounded 700 in bus and Tube attacks in London in 2005, our poppy investigator was confronted with bemused looks.

One general store boss said in broken English: “We don’t sell flowers.”

In Leeds, close to where the four suicide bombers housed their explosives, neither garages nor shops stocked them.

Derby’s bustling Normanton Road, home to dozens of Muslim-owned shops, was another poppy-free zone.

The nearest seller, two miles away, said: “You’re asking certain people to support our troops in the war against terror who may just support terror.”

The Royal British Legion insists poppies were supplied to all parts of Britain.